There I was, smiling ear-to-ear at a Gold’s Gym in London, Ontario where my first job ever in the health and fitness industry was.
Unless you count me working in a supplement store, which I don’t. Primarily because I was told to sell the things they had the best profit margins on rather than what was actually going to help people.
When I entered that gym I had the same naivety that so many trainers have when they enter the industry…
Hey, I look pretty fit and I know my stuff! I should be able to get some clients and make great money. Plus, I love training so this job will rock!
I was so delusional it was almost cute…almost.
In most cases, reality smacks new trainers in the industry in the face and approximately 80% of them don’t make it past their first year of employment before going back to a “regular job”.
The problem wasn’t their knowledge, it wasn’t their body, it wasn’t their location, it wasn’t anything except their naivety towards thinking people actually care about what they have to say.
Let me deliver you the cold, hard news.
Nobody cares what you have to say.
The first thing you learn on a gym floor is that clients DO NOT flock to you and fill up your schedule.
Then, the first thing you learn when you try to move your business online is that people DO NOT flock to your page and give you a bunch of followers, nor does anybody buy the products that you put online for sale.
Why is it so tough?
Why does nobody come to you at the gym right away, or go to your social media outlets to read your new tips/tricks for health and fitness?
It’s not because the information is bad, it’s because you suck at writing.
And it’s ok, I did too.
I used to be absolutely awful, now I consider myself a decent writer, but nothing compared to what some copywriters out there can produce.
People Don’t Have Time For You
In order to make a good go at this business, you’re going to need to learn how to advertise.
Do not carry with you the same naivety that I had and assume people want to listen to what you have to sell them.
People don’t like advertisements, like, at all.
I know I don’t like them, I bet you don’t like them either when they disrupt your day.
Why should I waste my time listening to your pitch?
In almost all cases, advertisements are trying to sell us shit we don’t need or even want.
Young coaches acquire the idea from their years in college or because they have a certification that people just can’t wait to read what they’ve written.
They probably get this idea because teachers had to read their essays and projects in school, they have an over-inflated sense of self, and haven’t been kicked in the teeth from the cutthroat world of business yet.
In the real world, nobody wants to read your advertisement.
Nobody really wants to read anything for the most part, your Mom wouldn’t even actively seek out your advertisement so she could read it, let alone a complete stranger.
Most people are on social media for fun and to relax and not to be pitched to.
People aren’t mean or “don’t care” — they are just busy, that’s all.
So, what’s the answer here?
Get Really Good At Writing
I think writing is one of the most important skills any online trainer could have.
It helps you communicate better, it helps you write emails better, it helps you copywrite better, it helps you close a deal better, and it is one of the most important factors towards developing a sizeable social media following.
A good writer can draw you in, make you feel like you’re not even reading. You are contributing your time to the written piece and the written piece is contributing both value and entertainment right back to you.
There are plenty of books out there that teach you how to write properly, but I think the most important factor is just experience.
You need to write, a lot.
I have written thousands of social media posts, hundreds of blogs, three books, and many different sales pages… and I still don’t consider myself a great writer.
I am a much better coach and program designer than I am a writer, but, looking back at my earlier work I have come a long way.
I am 10x the writer that I used to be, and it’s no surprise that an increased following and an increased income came along with that progression.
Remember, nobody wants to see your advertisement and nobody wants to read anything you put out.
The antidote to this is to get better at writing so you can draw your audience into wanting to read your posts as opposed to scrolling past them.
Quick Tips To Improve Your Writing
- Streamline your message. This means you need to break it down to its simplest form that is the easiest to understand.
- Attach emotion to it. You want to make it fun, or sexy, or scary. Anything, just make it something. Pure information is what you find in textbooks, and we all know how fun those are to read.
- Begin with a statement. Using a “big statement” at the beginning of your posts, articles, or videos is a great way to catch people’s attention and draw them into viewing the rest of your work. “Don’t perform another workout until you have seen this warm-up!” or “3 fat loss tips for lazy people” are two examples of compelling statements that make people feel like they would be crazy NOT to read it.
- Always have a call to action. Every ad, commercial, social media post, and email ends with a “call to action”
Subscribe!
Click that like button!
Place your order now!
This single principle may be the most important of all. If you don’t ask for the sale, don’t ever expect to get it. The call to action is what people need to pull the trigger, and they never will unless you tell them how.
Final Thoughts
When you realize that nobody wants to hear from you, your mind becomes powerfully concentrated in a way it never was before.
You begin to understand that writing is a necessary part of the transaction.
The reader donates their time and attention, which are the most valuable resources a business owner could ever have access to from their prospects.
In return, you the writer must give them something worthy of the gift they just gave you.
When you finally “get” that no one wants to buy your stuff or see your ads, you quickly develop empathy for them.
You gain the skill that is immeasurably important to all entrepreneurs which is the ability to switch perspectives back and forth from your own point of view as the writer/seller to the point of view of your reader/customer.
You learn to ask yourself with every article and post you publish…
Is this interesting?
Is this engaging?
Would I read this?
Is it fun or challenging?
Am I giving them enough in return for the time and attention they are giving to me?
Will they come back next time after reading this?
You lead the way, and you do it with your words.
And if you want help along the way to make the process as smooth and profitable as possible for you, check out the Create Freedom Academy and get started on the courses today.
Dan Garner
